Chicago Genealogy: Polish-American Resources

Chicago Genealogy: Polish-American Resources is today’s post.

Given the border changes over time, also consider links to
German-American resources for Chicago.

For links to other ethnic Chicago resources, click here.

Please note: This list is meant to include resources in addition to the ones found at the traditional genealogical sites like FamilySearch, Ancestry, Fold3, and the like. And the lists are by no means exhaustive, so if you know of other digital collections on Chicago and Illinois that you’ve found useful in your research, please let me know.

Organizations

Polish Genealogical Society of America

Membership information

The Society, headquartered in Chicago, is open to anyone doing research within the borders of the old Commonwealth of Poland. They provide books, newsletters, bulletins, printed information, regular Society meetings, and an annual workshop. With 2,000 members in all 50 states and 10 countries, the Society encourages its members to communicate with each other and share leads, research sources, and any other information that may prove mutually beneficial.

PGSA databases include:

Index to Death Notices in Dziennik Chicagoski, 1890-1920 – Searchable database for death notices in the leading Chicago Polish-American newspaper

Index to Death Notices in Dziennik Chicagoski, 1930-1971 – Searchable database for death notices in the leading Chicago Polish-American newspaper

Polish Marriages in Chicago through 1915 – Searchable database of marriages in Chicago Catholic parishes

Other PGSA publications/databases

PGSA Library Services:

PGSA volunteers work at the library of the Polish Museum of America (PMA), where they handle mail and in-person requests. Staffing does not permit them to do your research, but they can advise you. Their collections do NOT contain birth, marriage, death, immigration, or naturalization records.


Research Requests by Mail	Members	Non Members	Request Form
Dziennik Chicagoski newspaper obituary per obituary	$5	$8	Form
Hallers Army record copies per line entry	$5 to $7	$8 to 10	Form
Heraldry per name	$5	$8	Form
Location of town/villages per name	$8	$12	Form
PRCUA Insurance death record copies per name	$10	$15	Form
Surnames per name	$5	$8	Form
Who’s Who in Polish America per name	$5	$8	Form
Writing Home per letter	$5	$8	Form

Polish Museum of America, Chicago

“The Museum is one of the oldest and largest ethnic museums in the U.S. With its 60,000 volumes, 250 periodicals, collections of Polish music records and cassettes, the Museum Library ranks as one of the best, outside of Poland. The website provides information regarding opening hours and location of the museum and the library.”